Despite Walgreens And CVS Clinics, Hospital ERs Still Used For Routine Care

Retail clinics have become a popular choice for routine aliments and quick primary care treatment, but they may not be reducing visits to emergency departments, according to a new analysis.

There’s little question Americans have taken to the concept of retail medicine as CVS Health CVS +1.21%, Walgreens, Walmart and grocery store chains like Kroger have opened thousands of clinics as a primary care option. CVS now has more than 1,100 MinuteClinics in 33 states . But RAND Corp. researchers looking at the early days of retail clinic growth indicates they might not be changing patient behaviors when it comes to using more expensive hospital emergency rooms.